1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery terminal mounted to the post of a motor vehicle battery, and particularly to a battery terminal that is clamped using a tightening tool by tightening a bolt from above to firmly clamp the battery terminal to the battery post.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 4, the main terminal 3 of a conventional battery terminal of this type is made by bending a flat metal plate in two around a curve 3a at one end of the resulting main terminal 3. The top and bottom parts of this main terminal 3 are roughly identical in shape, and the bend imparts a certain flexibility to the terminal.
This main terminal 3 comprises a pair of top and bottom circular post fittings 3b, each of which is flat in the horizontal direction and both of which are fit over the battery post 2. A pair of right and left tightening members 3c, which are similarly flat in the horizontal direction, are provided contiguous to the free open ends of the circular post fittings 3b. The cable connector 3d is provided at the other, closed, end of the circular post fittings 3b.
A bearing washer 5 is placed at the outside of one of the tightening members 3c, and a bolt 6 is passed through the bearing washer 5 from the outside of the other tightening member 3c. A nut 7 is then threaded onto the bearing washer 5 end of the bolt 6 and tightened against the bearing washer 5 to tighten the right and left tightening members 3c, thus closing the free end of the circular post fittings 3b and firmly clamping the battery terminal to the battery post 2.
Because this main terminal is manufactured by bending a single metal plate and the components are fairly complex bent shapes, a thick metal plate cannot be used. The mechanical strength of the terminal cannot, therefore, be set high, the torque applied to the bolt 6 to tighten the tightening members 3c is not consistent, and poor contact between the battery terminal and battery post 2 can result from the instability of the bolt clamping force.
In addition, the engine rooms of recent vehicles are crowded with a growing number of components installed in a confined space. This makes it difficult to adequately tighten the terminal fitting by applying a horizontal force because of interference by other engine room components with the tools. It is even possible for the impact wrench to contact the negative terminal while tightening the positive terminal fitting, causing an electrical short which, in a worst-case scenario, could cause an engine room fire.